The Akaviri-Doom
by Skuldakn
Summary: This is a book about SKYRIM! Because I got bored of Star Wars. Hope you enjoy, it's based of a mod I made.
1. The Akaviri-Doom Synopsis

A/N: Okay, so I got tired of Star Wars. Can you blame me? This will be a synopsis of my new book, which if for Skyrim! SKYRIM! I can already hear angry people. So pretty much it is a story from a mod I made a while ago, but a file got corrupted and I had to take it off Steam Workshop. Then the rest got corrupted so I scrapped it. It will be a character I named Areus. He's a Redguard warrior who is also very skilled with archery and magic, because I got bored of cutting guys down with an axe. I will be doing this from a heroic, story type thing instead of a gamer's view. So there. Hope you enjoy, and there will be twists and characters you know. Wish I could have the mod up, but it's gone. ENJOY! 


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Okay, so this is a short chapter right now. Think of it as a teaser, because I'll have another one up next week.

Chapter One

"Run! Run now!" Areus shouted at the fleeing farmers. Whatever that had been attacking Whiterun for the last seven hours had quit the city and begun burning the farms in the outlying regions of the Hold. The farmers had to leave everything and run to Whiterun, the only safe place.

"Harbinger! That's the last of them!" Someone shouted from down below. Areus leapt down from the battlements to see who had yelled. It was Aela the Huntress.

"Are you sure?" Areus asked? The Huntress simply nodded.

"Get anyone who can use a bow to get on the wall. Including yourself." Areus ordered. "Whatever it is, it's coming back." Aela nodded and rushed off to follow his orders. Areus scanned the area, looking for someone in particular.

"Vilkas! Farkas!" He called, waving the twins over.

"Yeah?" Farkas asked.

"You need to get anyone who can't fight out of the city. Try the sewers." Areus gave out more orders, and the twins headed off to follow them.

"Areus! Get up here now!" His housecarl, Lydia screamed. Heeding her cry, Areus rushed back up to the battlements, where most of the guards and a good number of citizens were. What he saw scared the shit out of him. The fog that had surrounded the city for the entire day was now thinning, and what it revealed was horrifying. The entire landscape was burned to a crisp. And hovering above what was left of the Western Watchtower was a massive orange and black dragon, much bigger than Alduin. That wasn't the worst part. There was a ring of what looked like Khajiit holding a line of captives. The Khajiit had orange and black fur, the same colour of the dragon.

"Do it!" The dragon suddenly roared. The Khajiit pulled their arms back, blades appearing from nowhere.

"NO!" Areus screamed, jumping forwards off the battlements, Lydia and Aela trying to pull him back. Areus hit the ground, drawing his dragonbone war axe and his daedric shield. He charged, as fast as he could, but he was too late. Before he was even close to the Khajiit the monsters slashed downwards, beheading each and every victim. Even worse was when they bathed in the blood spewing from the exposed necks.

"RAAAAAAGH!" Areus roared, slamming into the nearest Khajiit, breaking it's neck. He could hear the collective screaming behind him, knew help was coming. He didn't care. The animals would die. He slashed through their armour like it was nothing. He cut down the entire line before the people on the wall made it to the gate.

"DRAGON! GET DOWN HERE AND FACE ME!" Areus screamed up at the monster.

"Very well Redguard. I will destroy you myself." The dragon flew down towards him, and Areus ducked to the side. When he landed his back was poked with something hard. Looking down, he saw it was his helmet. So that's how he knew I was a Redguard. Must have lost it in the bloodbath. Areus picked it up and slipped it back on his head. He turned, just in time to see the dragon's tail sweeping for him. Areus ducked down and raised his shield. Thankfully it held. The tail simply scraped over him. Sheathing his axe and dropping his shield, Areus drew his dragonbone bow from his quiver and quickly shot arrow after arrow, each one hitting their mark. The dragon roared, swooping over the city and crashing to land in front of Areus. Areus sheathed his bow and took his axe back out, quickly grabbing his shield back up. He placed his foot on the dragon's snout, lining up a slash across it's face. Suddenly, a bright flash came from the dragon's body, and Areus was blinded for a moment. When he looked back, he had a few seconds to realize that instead of a dead dragon, there was one of the odd Khajiit with a spear. Then the spear entered his stomach and went straight out the other end.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Areus dimly heard Aela and Lydia scream as one. Then the Khajiit pulled an Elder Scroll of his back. An Elder Scroll? Who the hell is this? Areus thought. The Khajiit unfolded it, reading aloud a strange language. Then a green glow wrapped itself around Areus, and then everything was gone. The spear in him was gone, his friends were gone, the Khajiit was gone, Whiterun was gone. There was just a green glow. Then images started appearing. Areus saw the Khajiit turn back into a dragon and fly away. He saw Aela, Lydia, all the Companions, Brynjolf of the Thieves Guild, Isran and Serana of the Dawnguard, and Frea of the Skaal. He saw Ralof, the Stormcloak, and Hadvar the Imperial. There was Tolfdir of the Mages College, and Jarl Balgruuf, the ruler of Whiterun. He saw Aela dying in battle with a bandit that was too much for her, he saw his daughter Lucia dying of old age, and he saw the deaths of all his friends. Then everything went dark, and the last thing he comprehended was a girl's voice, saying "Sven! Go get Mother and Father!"


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Today was turning out to be a very odd day for Vala. First she had found her mother Sisa and her father Hrodun had been talking in hushed tones early in the morning, as if they were trying to hide something. Then after lunch Vala had found her brother Sven in the forest outside their farm, attaching something to a bird's leg, a bird she had never seen before, and then Sven scanned his area and snuck back home. However, he had found her. And now, as she and Sven were coming home there was a massive flash of green light and a roar. Vala knew she should of been frightened, but her curious nature took advantage of the noise, Sven following. She snuck into a nearby bush, and moved closer. A small circle of trees and shrubbery had been blown away, and in the centre was a daedra. Vala was not a young girl, she was nineteen, relatively muscular and thin, good with a knife and a bow, but she stood no chance against a daedra, even the weakest of dremora. Then the daedra let out a loud groan. Panicked, Vala dropped the berries she had been collecting when he had spotted Sven, and she grabbed Sven.

"Sven! Go get Mother and Father!" She yelled, but Sven shook his head and ran off. Vala glared at him in disgust, but ran for the farmhouse as she heard creaking behind her.

"MOTHER! FATHER!" She screamed as she broke past the tree line. Her father was already outside, sharpening one of his many farming tools at the grindstone. He was the first to respond, grabbing his sword from his time as a mercenary. Her mother came out soon after, just in time to catch Vala in her arms.

"Darling, what's wrong?" Hrodun asked, taking his eyes off the forest to look at his trembling daughter.

"T-there's a d-daedra in the forest! It made a c-clearing," Vala stuttered, her mother stroking her hair. Hrodun was stunned for a few moments, but then he turned and grabbed a bow from their pile of tools. He dug a bit and pulled a half-full quiver, grabbing an arrow as it dropped out.

"Sisa, let's go." Hrodun commanded. Vala's mother took the bow and quiver, and turned to Vala and Sven, who had appeared from nowhere. He was only eight, but he seemed to know where something important was happening.

"You two stay here! Please, listen to me this time." Sisa said, hurrying after Hrodun. The second both were out of sight Sven started after them.

"Sven! Mother told us to stay!" Vala hissed, trying to grab his arm. Sven spun out of her reach and increased his pace.

"Come on Vala, I wanna see the daedra." Was all Sven said before he too vanished into the forest. Vala was left alone, and she had a moment of confusion. She had been ordered to stay, but now she was all alone. Taking one last look at the farmhouse Vala too ran off into the forest. Because she knew where the clearing was she was able to catch up in time. She stayed far enough back that she wouldn't be seen, but she could still watch. The daedra still hadn't moved, and Vala could see her mother up in a tree, arrow notched. Her father was slowly walking up to the daedra, sword held up and a small buckler guarding him. Vala didn't know where he found the shield, but he had.

"I think it might actually be dead." Her father shouted, prodding the monster several times. Her mother sighed, lowering the bow. her father grinned and began to walk towards her mother. It was then that the daedra sat bolt upright.

"RAAAAAAGH!" It roared, standing up faster than something that had just woken up should have. Vala's mother was ready however, and her still-notched arrow flew straight into the daedra's ribcage. The daedra fell to it's knee, but was back up just as fast. Her father tackled her mother into a bush, and the two hid from the monster, just as Vala hid from them. The daedra picked up an odd looking axe from the ground, and a shield that look the same as it's armour.

"Lydia! Aela! Is that you?" It shouted, sounding far too human. This caused Vala to shudder, as it could only be a ploy to draw out the monster's prey. But then Vala noticed the large amount of blood, red, human blood dripping down from a large gash in it's stomach. Then her father shouted a battle cry and rushed out of the bush, her mother standing tall and firing arrow after arrow. Unfortunately, the arrows were all embedded in the daedra's shield, and the shafts broken when the shield was smashed into her father's head. her father spun around, obviously disoriented. What confused Vala was that the daedra didn't take the kill. Instead it turned to her mother, hands glowing. Her mother's bow then flew out of her hands and onto the ground in front of the daedra.

"Die daedra!" Her father roared, brining his sword down on the back of the monster's head. But then the daedra's arm whipped upwards and caught the sword.

"Enough!" The daedra shouted, letting go of her father's sword and pulling it's helmet off. Under that helmet was a Redguard with a thin layer of dreadlocks and a small but thick beard.

"I am no daedra!" the Redguard said, glaring at her father.

What in the name of Oblivion is going on? Areus asked himself. He had woken up after being hit with whatever the Elder Scroll had done, and immediately he was attacked. The big Nord was glaring at him, holding the sword he had almost beheaded Areus with threateningly. The Bosmer woman who had shot the arrows was slowly walking up to him, her quiver depleted.

"Our apologies sir." The woman said, walking up to the man and gripping his shoulder. The Nord looked at her lovingly and sheathed his sword.

"Thank you. Now, tell me, do you have a healer nearby?" Areus asked, feeling the wetness in his armoured stomach.

"Yes, I am a healer." The woman said suspiciously, eyeing him.

"Excellent." Areus said, before he fell face first into unconsciousness. When he awoke, he was in a dimly lit room, wooden walls and floor. He was on a hard cot, his cuirass, gauntlets and helmet off. His stomach was bandaged heavily, as the wound he had taken was extremely bad. Areus noticed his satchel, with most things he owned still in it.

"Come on, please be there." He grunted through the pain. "Aha!" Areus pulled his hand out, gripping a small red potion. Popping the cap off with his thumb he downed the potion, and sighed in relief as the pain went away. He pulled his bandages away, with nothing but a scar left. Not many knew, but Areus was a skilled alchemist. Too much time to myself. He thought, fond memories in his head. Then he heard a gasp, and Areus spun, holding the bottle like a knife, or a really small club. Standing there was a young girl, maybe eighteen or nineteen, holding a tray of food. She wasn't tall, but she was thin and had the hints of visible muscles on her arms. Her face was delicate, each feature perfect. Her red hair was in a long braid, thrown over he shoulder. She wore something that looked like a combination of hide armour and a dress. Her complexion and skin colour seemed to be a combination of Nord and Bosmer, so he assumed she was a halfblood. Areus realized he was staring at the same time the girl did. They both averted their eyes, and then the girl quickly walked up and handed him the tray.

"I'm sorry I stared, it's just . . . Your chest, and your wound." The girl blushed and ran off, leaving Areus alone. He looked down at his toned chest, not a big six-pack, but there was one.

"It's not that impressive." Areus mumbled. He downed the mead quickly, and devoured the chicken leg. Gods, he was hungry. Once he had polished off the food, he found his shirt and threw it on. Once done that Areus began buckling on his armour. Cuirass first, the gauntlets. he decided to leave the helmet off for now, setting it on the cot. Hs quiver of arrows, not used, was leaning against the wall. Checking, Areus was pleased to find his bow, made of dragonbone like all his weapons, was also in the quiver. He slung it over his head onto his back. Areus slid his axe into it's sheath, and strapped his shield to his arm. Finally, he grabbed his helmet and held it under his arm. He didn't want anyone else to attack him. It was then that Areus noticed a window. He strode up to it, and peered out. The landscape looked just like the area outside Whiterun, where he had fought the odd Khajiit. But there was no city. No Honningbrew, none of the farms he knew. Not even the Western Watchtower.

"Odd . . ." Areus mumbled before exiting the room. He was in what he assumed was a farmhouse, since there was a chicken running around the floor. No one was inside, not even the girl from earlier. Then he heard shouting outside. Suspicious, Areus went to investigate.

"We don't know who he is, Sisa. What if he's a spy, or a thrall?" Areus heard a man's voice hiss. It must be the Nord from before. A soft, feminine voice came next, but Areus couldn't hear the words. Then there was the sound of growling beside Areus. He glanced down, and was shocked to see a young boy, another Nord.

"Uh . . . Hi." Areus said cautiously. The boy stopped growling and ran off without another sound.

"Odd." Areus said. Before turning and almost knocking over the Bosmer woman.

"Ah! I'm sorry, I didn't see you." Areus panicked, not wanting to offend the person who had saved his life.

"It's no problem." The woman said, smiling. "Have you seen a small boy? He's my son, and I can't find him." Areus nodded and pointed.

"He ran off that way." He told her.

"Thank you." The woman smile grew, but then it went to a frown. "My husband Hrodun would like to speak to you. He's out in the field." With those words the woman hurried off in the direction Areus had pointed. Areus took one look at the Nord and wished he could just hide in his helmet. The man was massive, a full head taller than Areus. Now, Areus wasn't very tall, but he was only a half head shorter than Farkas. The Nord had long red hair, and Areus made the connection that this was the girl's father. The Bosmer must have been her mother.

"Hello." Areus decided to start with, walking out into the sun. He hadn't been indifferent to the sun since he had cleansed the Beast Blood from himself with Farkas and Vilkas.

"Greetings." The Nord said, dropping the axe he had been chopping wood with. "I want to ask you a few questions." Areus simply nodded and prepared to answer with his best ability.

"Where are you from?" The Nord asked.

"Falkreath. I was at the orphanage at Riften but was adopted by Valga, the woman who runs Dead Man's Drink." Areus answered, completely truthfully. However, the Nord's reaction made Areus think he must have said something wrong or that the Nord really, really didn't believe him. The Nord then swung at Areus, knocking him flat.

"Do you think it's funny! I had friends in Falkreath!" The Nord roared at Areus.

"So?" Areus asked, confused. "So do I. They're quite happy." Areus said, thinking of Runil and Helvard. This angered the Nord even more, and the axe that was sitting behind him was now swinging towards Areus's head. Panicked, Areus pulled his shield up and hastily blocked the attack.

"What's so bad about Falkreath?" Areus shouted, trying to get the Nord to hear him.

"You really don't know, do you?" The Nord panted, picking the axe up. "How much of an idiot are you?"

"Uh . . . I don't know." Areus said dumbly. "Why?"

"Falkreath was destroyed in the First Invasion." The Nord said. Areus was left speechless.

"What 'First Invasion'?" He asked, panicked.

"The First Akaviri Invasion of Skyrim." The Nord answered.

"Akaviri?" Areus asked.

"Snake men. Giants made of ice. And Khajiit coloured black and orange." The Nord explained. This was hitting Areus hard, until he heard the last part.

"Black and orange?" He asked quickly, and the Nord nodded. "Do they have a dragon the same colour?" The nord nodded again.

"The Akaviri leader, Tosh Raka. He can turn himself from dragon to Ka'Po'Tun." The Nord explained. When Areus looked confused at the word 'Ka'Po'Tun' the Nord quickly added "Tiger people." Slowly, Areus was putting things together. But there was a massive piece of the puzzle missing.

"My last memory before waking up and fighting you was at Whiterun, the city." Areus explained.

"Which was torn down in the Second Invasion." The Nord quickly butted in.

"I fought the dragon, Tosh Raka. He surprised me by turning into the, um, Ka'Po'Tun, before spearing me in the stomach. That's where my wound came from. After that, um, Tosh Raka used an Elder Scroll and I was surrounded by green light. That's about all I remember." Areus said. Then he noticed the Nord's horrified look.

"The disappearance of the Dragonborn . . ." He said solemnly. "By the Nine Divines, you're . . ."

"Yeah." Areus said, spreading his arms. "I am Dragonborn. I defeated Alduin, the vampire Lord Harkon and Miraak the Dragonborn. Why is this so surprising?" Areus asked.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but your disappearance was three hundred years ago."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Hrodun was expecting the Redguard to look surprised, or angry, or just plain solemn, but Hrodun wasn't expecting laughter.

"Oh, oh that's funny." The Redguard managed through all the laughter. "I think I'd know if I was gone three hundred years. Now could you please direct me to Whiterun."

"I'm being serious. The current year is 4E 504. You disappeared in 4E 202." Hrodun said slowly, hoping to not get laughed at again. It really made him mad. Fortunately, this dense Redguard, no, the dense Dragonborn, was starting to get it.

"So, I've been gone for three hundred years, and just when did the Akaviri invade?" The Dragonborn asked. Hrodun thought back to his childhood.

"The First Invasion happened when I was ten, so it was thirty years ago. Falkreath was destroyed, and Riften cut off all ties with everyone. I think they wanted to get ignored, and so far it's worked."

"So, who leads Riften now?" The Dragonborn asked.

"Oh, it's not Riften now." Hrodun laughed at the thought. "It's now Black-Briar City."

"WHAT?" The Dragonborn shouted. Not Shouted, but shouted. Sisa stuck her head out the window, looking at Hrodun with worry. Hrodun waved her off and turned back to the Dragonborn.

"The city is currently led by Morgan Black-Briar, a young woman who cares more about the next person to share her bed than her own city." Hrodun explained.

"Alright, so when did the Second Invasion happen?" The Dragonborn asked.

"Ten years after the first. We're currently in the middle of the Third Invasion, which started in High Rock. We've managed to keep them out of Skyrim, but the Bretons didn't hold up." Hrodun said solemnly, thinking of his friend Marcus who had died in a battle in High Rock.

"Um . . . um . . . What about the Companions?" The Dragonborn asked quickly.

"They were exposed as werewolves about a hundred and twenty years ago, and have been on the run ever since. I don't know if they still exist."

"The Thieves Guild?"

"Working for Morgan Black-Briar as her personal espionage unit."

"The Legion?"

"Pulled back to Cyrodil."

"The Dawnguard?"

"I don't know what that is."

"The Blades?"

"Had themselves a civil war, and all died."

"The College of Winterhold?" This question gave Hrodun a quick fit of laughter.

"Two madmen who like to throw lightning bolts at passing travellers." He explained to the confused Redguard. The Dragonborn went back to thinking, but his face stayed downcast.

"If none of my allies are still existing, what about my enemies? The Thalmor?"

"Working with the Akaviri. In exchange for leaving the Summerset Isles alone, and because the Akavir promised to crush Skyrim." Hrodun explained.

"The Dark Brotherhood? I know I killed them off, but they always seem to survive." The Dragonborn muttered angrily.

"Same with the Thalmor, working with the Akaviri as their personal assassins. Their reasons are because they were almost destroyed in Skyrim, Skyrim should feel the same pain."

"Great" Was all the Dragonborn said." Then Sisa stuck her head back out the window.

"Boys! Dinner!" She called before zipping back in. At the mention of food the Redguard's stomach rumbled.

"Gods, I'm hungry." He said happily, but before he could go Hrodun grabbed his shoulder.

"First, tell me your name." He demanded.

"Uh, it's Areus. Why do you ask?" The Dragonborn asked back.

"I think I would want to know the name of my ancestor." Hrodun said before smiling and heading towards the house, leaving a slack-jawed Dragonborn behind him."

"WHAT?" Areus yelled for the second time today. But the big Nord was already gone. Hrodun was his name, Areus remembered just at that moment. Rushing after Hrodun, Areus accidentally slammed into the door just as it closed. This caused him to fall over and slam onto the hard floor. Areus rolled over and glared at Hrodun, who appeared to be having a hard time holding in his laughter. The mother however, looked shocked, as did the daughter. The creepy little boy simply stared.

"What do you mean, ancestor?" Areus demanded angrily. Then the mother looked up at the Nord and also demanded "Ancestor?".

"Not now Sisa. Just, let me handle this." Hrodun asked quietly. Huh. I guess Nords can be quiet. Areus thought. Hrodun motioned to the young girl, his daughter, Areus remembered. Then the mother, Sisa, took the creepy little boy out of the room. By this time Areus had already picked himself up.

"An explanation, please." Areus said. The girl also looked at Hrodun expectantly.

"Alright." Hrodun sighed. "Your daughter, Lucia, is my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother. Over time, the line became all Nordic. I have a bit of Imperial in me, I don't know about Redguard though." Hrodun said, speaking of Areus's own species. This was hitting Areus hard. he remembered the woman whom he had loved in his twenties. Her name was Luna Tharn, and he had loved her dearly. Lucia had been born after they had been married for two years. Unfortunately for both Areus and Lucia, Luna had found a large Nord whom she quite literally ran off with, leaving a poor Areus, whose only expertise was farming, with a baby girl to care for. That had started Areus's career as a sellsword, because farming couldn't cut it. This had led to him being hired by the Stormcloaks, which in turn led to Helgen.

"Who did Lucia marry? If I get back, I want to make sure I can kick their ass if they mistreat her." Areus said angrily. Hrodun laughed at that, and muttered something about 'Rexus too.'

"Lucia married Lars Battle-Born. That started the Nord heritage." Hrodun explained.

"Lars? Please tell me he grew some backbone when he got older." Areus groaned.

"Don't worry. Lars is remembered as a great warrior, who single handedly destroyed a massive bandit group plaguing Whiterun." Hrodun said. This left Areus stunned. Lars Battle-Born, always being picked on by Braith, destroyed a bandit group by himself! It was almost too much to believe.

"Good on Lars. Now, can you tell me where the seat of power in Skyrim is?" Areus asked, knowing he would need to figure out what had happened to him.

"Solitude." Hrodun said. Of course. Solitude. Areus thought.

"Wait. Dad." Vala said, not really expecting her to be heard. However, Hrodun had always been perceptive, and he had actually heard her.

"What is it darling?" He asked, kneeling so that they were eye to eye. That was how short Vala was compared to her father.

"So, what you two are saying is that this guy, whom we found in the forest, is Areus, the Harbinger of the Companions, Saviour of Skyrim and Solstheim, Arch-Mage of the Mages College and Master of the Thieves Guild? You believe this without proof?" As Vala spoke, her father's gaze turned from, well, fatherly to suspicious.

"She's right." Hrodun said suddenly, standing tall and turning to the Redguard. "What proof do you have that you are actually the Dragonborn?" This question finally made the Redguard smile, and he sucked in a deep breath.

"FUS!" The Redguard shouted, and a wave of blue energy flew out of his mouth and struck Hrodun, knocking him back. Stunned, Vala stared at the Redguard, an apology forming in her mouth.

"Hi. My name's Areus, and I'm the Dragonborn." The Redguard, Areus, said smugly. Then he uttered a quiet swear. "Gods, it sounds so weird when I say it out loud." This brought a smile to Vala's lips, and she stifled a giggle. Then another thought came to Vala, and she had to cover up another laugh.

"You know, if you want to eat dinner you should take your armour off. Mother will freak if you sit down with it on." Vala advised. Areus looked down at his intimidating red and black armour, before grinning and rushing into another room. Soon enough, he was back out in a belted tunic and a nice pair of boots. Her mother had made her best dish, seared slaughterfish with a honey-nut treat on the side. Her father passed around milk for Sven and Vala, while he and Sisa had their own mead. Hrodun was about to offer one to Areus, but Areus had already pulled his own bottle out of the satchel that was always on him.

"Honningbrew mead. From my time." he explained. Hrodun wasn't offended, and the meal began. However, Vala didn't immediately eat. She simply watched the Redguard devour everything in front of him. Her mother as well was surprised at Areus's appetite. It was only after every last crumb had been eaten that Areus noticed that everyone was staring.

"Sorry, going through a time portal makes me hungry." He explained sheepishly. Then he saw the stunned looks.

"I just figured it out." Areus explained further. "It's the same thing that happened to Alduin. The Tongues used an Elder Scroll to banish Alduin, but it only sent him ahead in time. That's what Tosh Raka did to me. Only I came out in three hundred years, not a thousand." Areus laughed at his own joke, but Vala thought his theory actually made sense. It was then that she realized Sven was gone.

"Sven? Where'd you go?" She nearly screeched. Her mother and father both began looking, but Areus simply sniffed the air.

"What are you doing?" Vala asked, starting to panic.

"I might have given up the Beast Blood, but I still have the senses of a werewolf." Areus explained. There had been a lot of explaining today, Vala thought dimly as she watched the Redguard follow a trail, his axe out. Vala didn't remember him having it when he came out for dinner, but so be it.

"That's . . . odd." Areus mumbled.

"What is it?" Hrodun asked.

"I was following the scent of young Nord, but right here it becomes the smell of ice and snow, and rags."

"But . . . but . . . that sounds like a Kamal. A snow demon. Why would one be here?" Sisa said, starting to panic at the thought of her son being in the presence of a snow demon.

"Yeah, you're really gonna hate me now." Areus mumbled again.

"Why?" Hrodun asked suspiciously, gripping the Redguard's shoulder.

"There's also a snake's scent, and from what you told me, I can only assume that means the snake men."

"Tsaesci." Hrodun breathed, now sounding very, very afraid to Vala. It was then that a rumbling roar came from over the crest of a hill.

"That's where the scent leads." Areus said, pointing to where the roar came from.

"Come on!" Hrodun shouted, pulling his sword off the wall and rushing to the hill, Areus behind him. Vala and her mother followed as well, but far back. Areus and her father ran over the hill and out sight, and following that, there came the sounds of hissing. By the time Vala and Sisa made it to the top of the hill, her father and Areus were already confronting two Tsaesci. They were even more terrifying than her father had told her. Each ten feet tall, they had retractable fangs as long as Vala's leg. They had dark green scales, and were pretty much giant snakes, if not for the two muscled arms coming from their sides and the almost human voices emanating from the massive maws.

"Human filth. You shall taste excellent." The Tsaesci said in union.

"I'd say the same, but I really don't want to eat giant snake man things." Areus taunted, swinging his axe aggressively. It was then that Vala heard booming laughter. Then Sven walked past the two monsters to stop in front of Hrodun.

"Sven! Get over here!" Hrodun hissed, sounding almost like the two Tsaesci.

"No." Was all Sven said. But then his small body bulged, growing far taller than the snakes. His skin became jagged and appeared to be made of ice. His face was just two glowing eyes on a large spike of ice. Sven . . . was a Kamal.

"Tosh Raka sends his regards, Descendant of Dragonborn, and hopes you like his spell. Now die." The Kamal rumbled before attacking. Thankfully, it didn't get more than two paces before fire billowed from Areus's hands. The Kamal literally melted before her eyes. Vala was in shock, as was her mother. But it was nothing compared to her father. Hrodun fell to his knees as the waters of what used to be his son slid into him.

"No . . ." He mumbled before a Tsaesci zipped forwards, ripping his head clean from the body. Blood flew as if from a fountain, and what was left of Hrodun was gobbled up by the monsters. Areus simply stood there in horror. However, Sisa did not. Screaming curses of all sorts, she rushed at the Tsaesci with the only weapon she had: A kitchen knife. Sisa managed to get close enough, and stabbed the knife into the trunk of one snake. She was promptly torn to bits. The snakes moved faster than Vala's eye could follow. But her eye wasn't following them. Her eyes were locked on what remained of her family, little bits of flesh, water, blood and ice scattered around. Dimly, she heard a loud noise, and saw Areus rushing at the snakes. No. Vala thought. Not him too. The snakes laughed at the human charging at them, until both they and Vala realized that Areus was moving faster than any human, almost as fast as the snakes themselves. One Tsaesci seemed to take this as a personal insult, and rushed at Areus. Areus leapt into the air, bringing his axe down just as the Tsaesci pounced. Both of them fell to the ground, and Vala gasped. Was he dead? But then Areus rose, ripping his axe out of the head of the Tsaesci.

"You're next." He growled at the last monster. However, the Shout that had made him so fast had worn off. The Tsaesci took extreme advantage in this, swiping it's claws across Areus's chest. Areus flew backwards, propelled by the force of the snake's blow.

"That's it, no more Mr. Living Snake." Areus grumbled as he picked himself up. Thankfully, the Tsaesci's claws hadn't been out, so Areus was just bruised. Leaping at the monster, Areus roared a battle cry. Then he flew right into the outstretched mouth of the monster.

"NO!" Vala cried, watching the last survivor die. The Tsaesci heard her however, and slowly slithered towards her.

"Cheer up, human. Sorrow always tastes bad." It hissed at her. But then it gagged, and a large amount of blood flew out of it's mouth.

"NOOO! WHAT ISSSS THISSS?" It screamed, before the white blade of Areus's axe ripped out of it's stomach, and cleared a big enough hole for Areus himself. As the creature fell to the ground, dead, Areus went to grab his axe. Only to realize that all that was left was the blade.

"Damn snakes. My favourite axe!" He growled again, kicking the dead body. But then his head snapped up, and began sniffing madly.

"We need to leave. There are more coming. Idiots, coming from upwind." He explained, grabbing Vala's arm and rushing off with her.


	5. Chapter 4

[A/N] So, yeah. Two quick notes. First, Lucia is an actual character in Skyrim. She is an orphan you can adopt with the Hearthfire DLC. She's the one I always adopt, so I thought I'd change her story a little. Second note, everything Areus said he did, I did it naturally using his character. So yeah, I actually did fight ten dragons and not get hit once in the Thalmor Embassy. And now I'm gloating. Sorry

Chapter Four

"Come on!" Areus growled, dragging the limp girl behind him. She didn't respond.

"Can't go to the house, which means no armour." Areus mumbled as he ran. Then a thought hit him.

"Vala! Come on!" He nearly shouted, slapping her cheek.

"Ow! What?" The girl hissed, blinking furiously.

"How far north is your house from Lake Ilinalta?" Areus asked quickly. Vala had a confused look, but she answered quickly enough.

"Um . . . about two dozen miles I think." She said. Areus sighed. Another long run.

"Let's go!" He ordered, and continued pulling her along with him. By the time he was done it was just past midnight.

"Please, stop. I need to sleep." Vala moaned, collapsing on the ground.

"Alright." Areus conceded. He was tired too. "Um, Vala. Where are we?" He asked, looking at the small wooden poles sticking out of the ground.

"Hmm?" She asked, then saw what he was looking at. "Oh, it's the remnants of Riverwood."

"Riverwood? Excellent." Areus said, a little sadly. He had friends in Riverwood, excluding Sven and Faendal. Camila deserves better, Areus thought.

"Now we start heading south west." He instructed.

"Why are we going to Lake Ilinalta?" Vala asked, yawning.

"My house is there, and hopefully the supplies I stockpiled." Areus explained.

"Okay . . . Good night." Vala whispered, apparently falling into a deep sleep. Areus might have gotten rid of the Beast Blood, but all the good senses and bad curses stayed. Luckily, since then he had learned a way to sleep but also stay awake, a contradictory thing only practiced by the Mages College.

"Sleep well Vala." He whispered, settling down for the night.

It was the screaming that awoke Vala. She heard it, and was up in a second. Areus had a large stick in his hands, and Vala grabbed the knife she kept in her boot. The screaming quieted enough so that she could hear snarling, which meant wolves.

"We should help." Vala hissed, the screaming getting closer. Areus didn't say anything, but a slight nod and he began moving forwards, cautiously. Then a small man flew out of the brush, three wolves growling. Instantly Areus rushed at the wolves, knocking one down at beating at it's head with his makeshift club. But while he was doing that, the man had collapsed, and despite Vala's best efforts of throwing all the stones she could grab, the wolves descended on him, ripping and tearing. The entire scene went red, and Vala averted her eyes just before a gurgly scream emanated from the dog pile. Then the sounds of wood hitting flesh came, and when Vala turned back Areus stood over the corpses of the wolves, his hands dripping with their blood. Vala came up to him, putting her hands on his arms. Slowly, the rage in Areus's eyes cooled, and he looked pityingly at the corpse.

"I-I couldn't save him." Areus mumbled. Then the corpse moved.

"AAAAAH!" Vala shrieked, tripping and falling next to a dead wolf.

"P-p-ple-ease, d-deli-iver message t-to Queen M-Morgan." The man groaned, his torn throat causing him to stutter. His hands weakly grasped at a letter, miraculously clean of any blood.

"You have my word." Areus assured the man. The dying man smiled, and then the light left his eyes. Areus sighed, reaching up and closing his eyes.

"Let's go." Was all he said before picking up his stick and trudging off. It was several more hours before they spotted the lake, and another before Areus said 'We're here'.

"Where's here?" Vala asked, scanning the clearing.

"My house." Areus said simply. Vala continued looking, but she didn't see anything that shouted 'There's a house here!'. However, her thoughts were interrupted when Areus sidled up to the centre of the clearing. he stomped two times, and the ground caved in. It was only when Vala scurried over that she realized it was a trapdoor, like the one her family had to their cellar.

'What?" Vala asked, glancing up at Areus.

"I was an enemy of several powerful factions. You think I wouldn't have a few secret places?" He said, arms crossed over his chest. Vala thought about for a moment, then smiled up at him.

"Ladies first." Areus bowed, pointing to the hole.

"Beast before beauty." Vala shot back. Areus faked a wince, then grinned and hopped right in. After a moment of hesitation, Vala climbed down after him. The sight that greeted her was not at all what she had expected. Instead of dirt walls and a solitary torch, like her imagination, it was a cozy wood and stone walled room. There was a toasty fireplace, an enchanting station, an alchemy table, a row of chests that Areus was examining pushed against one wall, and a table with three chairs in the centre. The walls were cobblestone with wooden support beams, strangely not rotten.

"Magic." Areus said, still bent over the chests.

"Huh?" Was all Vala could say.

"I can see you staring at the supports. I had a friend, an expert on this kind of thing, come in and work on them." Areus explained, going back to rummaging. Vala went back to examining the room. Then she noticed the paintings. They were covering most of the walls. One was of a young Imperial woman, brown hair and green eyes. Her face was beautifully sculpted, and the way the picture was painting only made her look more beautiful.

"Who is that?" Vala asked, pointing. Areus turned to look, and immediately a scowl came over his face.

"My first love, and the mother of my daughter." The way Areus said it, and the way he turned back to his work said to Vala that this subject was not to be discussed, ever. Ignoring the growling Redguard, Vala continued to examine the paintings. There was one of a red-haired woman with three streaks of green warpaint on her face, another of a young woman with black hair and a tough expression. There was a picture of two people, a bald Redguard with a long black beard and another Nord woman with short dark hair and strange, orange eyes. The final picture was of a young girl, with the same hair and eyes as the Imperial woman. His daughter, no doubt. Vala thought.

"Aha!" Areus shouted suddenly, causing Vala to jump. When she turned to look, he was strutting over to her, a grin on his face and a bow in his hands.

"Here, try holding this." He said, handing the bow to her. The bow in question was large, but then again the best ones were. It was a strange, bumpy white material, like Areus's axe. Taking it, Vala nearly dropped it. It was quite heavy, heavier than she expected. But she had been working on a farm all her life, and had hunted for most of it too. Hefting it, Vala set up like she was taking a shot, miming drawing an arrow and pulling back the bowstring. She pulled it back easily, and Areus grinned even more.

"Well, that settles it. It's yours." Areus said, handing her a quiver of arrows made of the same material.

"There's some armour in that chest there. Take your pick." Areus pointed out the chest, and then he walked over to a door Vala had not noticed and ducked into it. Vala thought about asking what he was doing, but decided against it and headed over to the chest. There were two open chests, instead of the one Areus had pointed to. However, one was full of large metal armour. The one Areus had pointed to was full of leather, hide, fur and a strange gilded golden armour. After ruffling through the chest for several minutes, Vala finally decided on a light, small set of hide armour. Grabbing a pair of breeches and a tunic, Vala quickly changed, hoping Areus wouldn't pick now to come out. Thankfully she managed to finish before anything happened.

"Hey, you ready yet?" Vala called, walking up to the door.

"Oh, yeah." Came the startled reply. Their was the sound of boots moving fast over wood. Then the door opened suddenly, and Vala was given a big look at Areus's armour. It was coloured black and light gold, with a chest-like front and plated armour along the arms. His legs were completely covered in the armour, with heavy boots on his feet. However, Areus wore no helm. His sword was even more odd. It was thin, very thin and curved like the scimitars she had seen her father draw.

"I finally decided on no shield." Areus said, interrupting Vala's thoughts.

"Why?" Vala asked, confused. From what she gathered, Areus was someone who liked his defence.

"Well, those Tsaesci moved extremely fast. A shield would slow me down. This is my best armour here. I've enchanted it so that if a greatsword hit me I wouldn't be instantly cut in half." Areus explained.

"Now, we need to get moving." He said abruptly, before heading towards the ladder.

"Wait. Where are we going?" Vala asked, extremely confused.

"Riften. I mean, uh, Black-Briar City." Areus said, correcting himself.

"Why?"

"Because I swore I'd deliver the message. Also because there's a chance a friend I once had might still be there." Areus explained, heaving himself up the ladder.

"Um . . . Okay." Vala said quietly, following him up. this man was made to lead, and to not be questioned, Vala was slowly learning. When she got up Vala saw Areus studying a map, which he must have grabbed from a chest.

"We go that way." He pointed before stuffing the map into the satchel that was always on his person.

"Wait. Who's your friend?" Vala had to ask. She really didn't like it when people didn't tell her things. It was probably due to a childhood of parents keeping secrets.

"You'll see. Eventually. Hopefully." Areus mumbled, starting off towards Black-Briar City.

"Alright." Vala pouted, but Areus didn't notice. The two of them continued to trek, avoiding roads because Areus said that is the worst place to be ambushed. They did however stay near roads, or at least what was left of them since the Akaviri had moved through. As far as Vala knew, the positioning of Black-Briar City, back and side to the mountains and other side to a lake, gave them a great defensive advantage that their walls and towers only increased. So there was still a high chance that it was still standing. Vala told Areus about her thoughts, and he thanked her. But then something occurred to Vala.

"What happens if they decide to shoot at us instead of letting us in?" Vala asked nervously, imagining the skies darkening with arrows like in her father's tales.

"I'm the Dragonborn. I fought ten dragons at once. I even broke into the Thalmor embassy and made it out with a single scratch. I think I can handle the Black-Briars." Areus spat out distastefully. Vala pondered on his words, and decided that ten dragons would definitely be more dangerous than Black-Briar City's entire garrison of soldiers. Vala and Areus stopped at a creek at the base of the massive mount, High Hrothgar Areus had called it. They settled down for a meal, Areus leaving for a few minutes and coming back with a string full of dead rabbits. A few minutes of cooking later and they were both enjoying the sweet taste of roasted rabbit.

"Hmm. It's getting dark." Areus said, glancing up at the sky. Vala looked up, and saw the quickly fleeting sunlight disappear. They began setting up tents, which Areus somehow managed to carry along with him. Vala was about to ask him how to use the nails and hammer, but stopped when she saw him staring at the woods, sword unsheathed and flames burning in his other hand.

"What is it?" Vala whispered nervously. Areus turned his head to her, face frozen in a scowl.

"Werewolves."


	6. Chapter 5

[A/N] Okay, here's another chapter. Enjoy, I'm getting to Fight or Flight next.

Chapter Five

"What?" Vala squeaked. Areus had expected this, of course. Her reaction to werewolves was just about the same as everyone else in Skyrim, excluding the Silver Hand, Blades and Companions.

"Shhh," Areus whispered, motioning for Vala to be silent. He could smell five different scents, one directly in front of him, one moving around behind him and another moving to the opposite side, with two more holding back.

"Idiots." Areus grumbled, turning to his left, where the scent was strongest.

"What?" Vala asked, nervously notching an arrow on her bow.

"The wolves. They're coming from upwind, so their scent's blowing right into my nose." Areus explained. Vala sniffed, but her confused look told him that she couldn't smell them.

"What now?" Came her hurried response.

"Over there. Pick your shot carefully, he's close." Areus ordered, pointing Vala at the closest scent. She nodded, and Areus began slowly moving himself off to the edge of their clearing, the towering dark trees standing tall.

"YOL TOOR SHUL!" Areus Shouted, a massive stream of fire burning it's way through the forest and illuminating the large form of a werewolf with it's tail on fire.

"Fire! Now!" Areus ordered. Thankfully, Vala had managed to keep her wits about her, and an arrow flew past Areus, striking the large flaming form in the shoulder. The force of the arrow and wound knocked over the creature, Areus refused to think of them as beasts since he had been one himself, and it crumpled to the ground. In the blink of an eye, two more shapes bounded out of cover to their fallen brother, beating the fire out of his tail. This action caused the light from the fire to go out, so Areus and Vala could no longer see. Then . . .

"Truce!" A gravelly voice shouted from the darkness. Areus stood straight, and motioned to Vala to lower her bow.

"Truce. We have medicinal supplies." Areus called back. There was no answer, but some unintelligible grunting.

"Uuuh, what just happened?" Vala asked, confused. Areus glanced back at her with a smile.

"I'm making some friends." With that, Areus trotted over to their supplies, and grabbed a healing potion from his satchel. Careful to not move to fast, Areus went over to where he guessed the wolves were. Pushing aside a bush, he saw a large Nord, short brown hair and a scruffy beard, lying on his back with an arrow sticking out of his right shoulder. Around him were four more people, two female and two male. There was a blonde woman, a red haired man, and two that looked to be brother and sister, as they shared a face and long black hair. The second Areus stepped past the brush, the blonde woman unsheathed her sword and swung straight at Areus's neck. The blade didn't make it very far. In the blink of an eye, Areus dropped his potion, grabbed her sword, twisted it out of the woman's hand and held her above the ground by her neck. The rest of the group, excluding the black haired woman, drew their weapons and moved to surround Areus.

"Before this gets started, I just want to ask: How stupid are you? Coming from upwind?" Areus growled at the warriors, eyes still locked on the blonde woman's.

"Wait. You could smell us?" The red haired man said, sounding astounded.

"You honestly can't tell who has, or had, the Beast blood?" Areus continued berating them, further confusing the men and apparently pissing off the blonde woman.

"Alright warrior, how do you know of the Beast blood?" The black-haired woman called, still standing over the fallen man.

"I was once a Companion." Areus explained. This is what finally made the blonde snap. She attempted to kick Areus in the groin, but she moved significantly slower than him. However she cause Areus to jump back, which allowed her and her compatriots to draw their swords. They began to move to surround Areus, but Areus backed up, keeping them all in front of him.

"How dare you call yourself a Companion!" The blonde woman raged. "You are an insult!"

"Not to mention we would have met you. We've been Companions since birth." The red haired man added. Looking at the three warriors, Areus couldn't help but let out a laugh. They didn't even know how to fight properly. Too much time as wolves, most likely. Without taking out his sword, Areus rushed to his right, smashing his fist into the chin of the black haired man. He went down without a sound, his sword clattering on the rocks he stood on. Areus caught the body, carefully dropping him away from the rocky area before turning to face the other two.

"DIE!" The blonde woman screamed, shoving her way past the red haired man to attack Areus. She missed, because Areus was already behind her, dodging the not-as-wild swings of the red haired man. The man did get Areus with his shield, but Areus just grabbed the shield and flipped the man over his back. The man slumped on the ground, and to make sure Areus kicked his face. He didn't stir, which was enough for Areus.

"I think that's enough, don't you?" Areus mocked the blonde, turning to her. She had enough time to look enraged and raise her sword before Areus sucked in a breath.

"FUS RO DAH!" He Shouted, and the woman flew back, slamming into a tree. It was not an elegant fall, as she bashed her head on a branch before landing in a heap before the trunk. Satisfied, Areus turned to the black haired woman.

"Are you next?" He asked innocently. The woman shook her head, looking surprised and a little bit afraid.

"Good." Areus said shortly. "Vala!" He then called out, intending on making amends. "Bring my satchel."

"I got it." The little elven . . . Nord . . . Areus couldn't decide, but she called out. Vala then came out of her hiding spot, a small tree but still out of sight. She rushed to their camp and grabbed the satchel. Bringing it to Areus, she took a moment to examine the remains of the fight.

"They didn't stand a chance, did they." She said plainly. Areus didn't even grace that with an answer. Heading over to the bearded man, Areus ignored the black haired woman and slipped another healing potion from his satchel and poured the contents down the man's throat. Tossing the satchel back to Vala, he zipped over to where his other potion lay, and also tossed it to Vala.

"Give it to the woman under the tree." Areus told her, pointing. Vala nodded and scampered off, hopefully being careful with the bottle. In the meantime, Areus walked to a spot directly in between the black and red haired men. Focusing, he began to channel his magicka into a healing spell, and watched as the bruises on each of them slowly faded into nothing. Then it was just a matter of waiting. Areus signalled Vala as she came back from the tree, and she headed over to him.

"Climb up there. Be ready with your bow." Areus whispered, hoping the woman, still working on the bearded man, didn't hear. She didn't. Vala nodded her understanding, and she vanished up the tree. Areus drew his sword finally, checking the blade and using a soul gem from his satchel to power the enchantment. Slowly, the beaten men and the blonde woman began to rise, their minuscule wounds already gone. However, no amount of healing could fix a beaten Nord's pride.

"You!" The blonde woman screamed, raising her sword again. Her arm was then immediately pinned to the tree behind her by one of the dragonbone arrows Areus had given Vala. The men dove for cover, and began scanning the trees for the archer.

"Now then, is that anyway to treat an ex-Harbinger?" Areus asked, smiling jovially.


End file.
